Registered Charity Number: 1159745 Walkley Carnegie Library Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024 Walkley Carnegie Library Contents Page Legal and administrative information Trustees, annual report Accountants, report Receipts and payments account Statement of assets and liabilities Notes to the accounts io-ii Walkley Carnegie Library Legal and administrative information For the year ended 31 March 2024 Registered Charity Number 1159745 Trustees Mrs Ruth van Eeden Ms Katherine Elliott Ms Anne Grange Mr Mark Crossland Angela Davies Janet Firth Danica Summerlin Chair Treasurer Secretary Resigned 13 April 2024 Resigned 31 March 2024 Appointed 25 November 2023 Appointed 31 March 2024 Acting Chair Principal Address Walkley Library 403 South Road S6 3TD Bankers Co-operative Bank Business Direct PO Box 250 Skelmersdale WN86 Accountants Seven Hills Accountants Limited 57 Burton Street Sheffield 56 2HH **Walkley Carnegie Library** ## **Trustees annual report For the year ended 31 March 2024** The trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 March 2024. ## **Charitable objectives and activities** - The objects of the charity as set out in the governing document are: - 1) The advancement of education for the benefit of the public in the district of Walkley in the City of Sheffield and the surrounding area by the provision of a community leading library and associated services - 2) to promote for the benefit of the public in the district of Walkley in the City of Sheffield and the surrounding area without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinion by associating together the said residents and local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide faculties in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents. WCL mission: to provide a dynamic space and innovative services for local residents to read, learn, meet, make, play, create, develop, socialise, access services, support one another and much more. The main activities undertaken in relation to those purposes: - Operating a volunteer managed public library for at least as many hours per week as was provided previously by the local authority. Book loan is dependent on library membership (free), and the building, activities and events are open to the public. - Providing events and activities suitable for a wide age range and to provide space to hire for group activities or events. Hires of the space are limited by the lack of level access to the space. - ● Displaying local community information including access to newspapers and the internet and providing an information and enquiry service. - Providing training and mentoring where appropriate. - Providing the opportunity for people to contribute to the service by volunteering or making donations of services or equipment. Suitable training to be provided to all volunteers including trustees. The trustees have given due consideration to the Charity Commission published guidance on the Public Benefit requirement under the Charities Act 2011. The following services are available to the public: - Providing and improving the library service and keeping a community building open. - Maintaining the building and surrounding grounds and contributing to the vibrancy of the high street (South Road). - Delivering a range of activities for different age groups, particularly for pre-school and school age children. - Providing volunteering opportunities and training. - Being involved with other local groups and events. - Providing a welcoming environment for all visitors. - Acting as a Welcome Hub, to provide a safe warm space for local people through the winter months. - Providing Duke of Edinburgh placements and projects at both school and higher education levels. - Working with other volunteer libraries to maintain the standard of service across the city and to create events celebrating libraries. 2 Walkley Carnegie Library Trustees annual report For the year ended 31 March 2024 Structure, governance and management Walkley Carnegie Library (WCLI is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation that operates a wholly volunteer led library. The organisation became a registered charity on 31 December 2014, registered charity number 1159745. The library is governed by a constitution last amended on 31 December 2014, available on request. A board of appointed trustees run the organisation, delegating the day- to- day running of the library to a team of volunteers. The membership consists of trustees and volunteers. All these members have voting rights, and the AGM welcomes library users and observers. The 2023 AGM saw the confirmation of I new trustee, Jan Firth and the resignation of Kate Elliott. Separate to the AGM, we welcomed Danica Summerlin as a new trustee and sadly accepted the resignation of Ruth van Eeden. The library continues to actively search for new trustees. The Counter Services Committee {CSC) continues to play an important role in the operation of the library and has undertaken important work around improving volunteer co-ordination and communication. CSC meetings provide a valuable link between counter volunteers and trustee decision making and are held regularly every 4-6 weeks. Achievements and performance We are hugely proud of what our volunteer team has achieved over the last year. Volunteer numbers and capacity have increased, and we now open the library 23 hours a week, 2 hours longer than before and exceeding the provision when it was under Sheffield City Council management. Library usage has increased in terms of book loans and visitor numbers underlining the enduring importance of the library within the Walkley community. In the last 12 months, the library has run regular baby time sessions and paper pastime events for children as well as treasure hunt activities for the younger library users a nd their families. We also play host to regular music sessions for preschool children (Small Voices. Big Noises). We participated in last year's summer reading challenge and will be doing so again this year. We continue with the book and cake sales and aim to increase this activity, volunteer capacity permitting, to increase income generation. We have also welcomed ad hoc groups, including local Beavers and Brownies groups and primary school children visits. We hope to be able to extend this to other local groups and schools in the future. Alongside this, students on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme continue to do placements within the library. We delight in being able to showcase and celebrate local authors and this year we have hosted a book reading sessions by Gavin Extence. We ran a successful medieval morning led by one of the volunteers (who has a professional background as context) and this was well attended and received. On 6th July, Walkley Library co-hosted an informal Public Living Room at the Ruskin Park community festival with local writing group Walkley Feral Writers, who ran writing workshops and drop-in activities on the day, building the way for more collaborations with local writers. Walkley Carnegie Library Trustees annual report For the year ended 31 March 2024 Achievements and performance (continued) The library will also be hosting the Walkley Heritage group with displays and photographs of the area and library volunteers will be running creative activities on the themes of routes, networks, connections, the Heritage Open Days theme for this year. The Library's external presence has been significantly improved by a large mural of a bird on the wall of a building adjacent to the Library, produced by local artist Peachzz. Events planned for the future include games evenings, more public living room events, craft activities and author events. In September 2024, we will be celebrating 10 years of the volunteer library service along with other libraries in Sheffield. We operated as a Welcoming Place over winter 2023124. We are also welcoming a higher number of people using the library as a work hotspot as an alternative to incurring working from home costs. We keep the library collections under review, and we used the Christmas break to undertake a substantial reorganisation of the book collections led by the Book Development Group. Sheffield City Council funded much-needed repairs and replacements to the windows on all sides of the building. This is an aesthetical and energy efficient improvement and a real mitigation to the risk of flood damage in the building. Work is nearing completion to redraft a number of policies and processes. including the volunteer policy and an events booking procedure. A revamped induction and training scheme for new volunteers has been launched. supported by a new volunteer handbook. We are committed to the support and ongoing development of all our volunteers to ensure they have a fulfilling experience in the library. Trustees continue to attend Voluntary Library in Sheffield {VLiS) meetings as a source of information and support in the overall landscape of voluntary libraries. We also receive support from Sheffield City Council's Libraries, Archives and Information team. Sheffield City Council remain our core funder, with a grant agreement for 2024/25 in place. Challenges Over this period, the library has faced two major challenges. Firstly, issues arising from working in a historic building which has many maintenance challenges and requires major renovations (for example installing a level entrance facility) to enable us to maximise its use and income potential. Secondly, and linked to this, the lack of a lease agreement with Sheffield City Council, without which we are not in a position to seek funding to address the urgent access issues with the building. Both challenges were reported on last year. The trustees are continuing to negotiate with the Council over both issues. Kate Elliott, our treasurer and long standing and experienced trustee stood down this year. Whilst she continues to provide day to day cover forfinancial issues and management which is incredibly helpful. we have an experience and knowledge gap which the Trustees, whilst working to resolve, are very concerned about. Walkley Carnegie Library Trustees annual report For the year ended 31 March 2024 Challenges (continued) Volunteer recruitment continues to be challenging. While we have a strong cohort of counter volunteers, we have struggled to attract volunteers to support wider functions, including admin, events, marketing and organisational support. There is a limit to what our counter volunteers and our trustees can take on in addition to their core duties. We have offered a wide range of events and activities this year but could do more with more volunteers focussed on this area. We would like to develop our website further and to make it more dynamic as a shop window for our services and activities. We continue to look forvolunteers especially with the digital skills and time to help us move forward. The trustees continue to actively seek rnore trustees amidst a growing concern that pressure on current trustees (all of whom have full time commitments outside the library) is unsustainable. This appears to be a problem common to many volunteer libraries and other charities. The trustees continue to discuss ways to increase uptake e.g. liaising with Voluntary Action Sheffield (VASI and mentions in local school/church/community newsletters. Again, this is a challenge noted in previou5 reports. Future plans The current political, economic and environmental uncertainty continues to necessitate libraries taking a more active role in supporting the local community. We are mindful that we need to ensure that the library has a sustainable future. It is vital that we obtain a lease, which will allow us to source further funding and develop a more robust business plan to ensure the library continues to flourish. In particular, the lack of required access continues to cause issues for library users. The library would also benefit from an overall refurb alongside the more pressing, long existing, and rapidly worsening structural repairs. We continue the conversation with relevant stakeholders at the council regarding the lease and the current condition of the building. It was a relief this year that the window replacement was done but there remains substantial work outstanding to ensure the building is weather tight. There is still a disjoint between the risks the trustees are willing to take on as tenants of the building and the responsibilities of the council as the owner of the library. Discussions are ongoing as to how to proceed but it is a slow and unclear process. In the medium-term, the building remains the responsibility of the council, and we continue to work with SCC Facilities to identify and address major issues with the building. Our key future priority (subject to lease agreement) remains seeking funding to undertake a building project to provide an accessible entrance and toilet. This in turn should allow for an increased programme of events and hiring, thus allowing the library to continue to be asset to the community. We are in the final stages of clearing out our staff room so it can be hired out as a meeting space. Walkley Carnegie Library Trustees annual report For the year ended 31 March 2024 Financial review We continue to receive grant funding from Sheffield City Council designed to cover the main costs of running the building and maintaining a library seniice. This year has seen the dramatic increased costs of energy and wider inflation, meaning that annual total running costs have increased from c. £15k in 2021122 to an anticipated £20k in 2024125. As in previous years, room hire has proved to be a valuable source of income, although there is room to increase this once the building is more accessible. We have also received a numberof donations in the form of books and/orservices during the last year for which we are very grateful. We particularly want to recognise the kind donations made to the library by Mr Bertie this year which have been used to purchase new books. Reserves policy Uncertainties relating to the proposed refurbishment of the building and diminishing grant contributions from Sheffield City Council mean that the Trustees wish to maintain reserves equivalent to at least three years running costs. As our running costs have gone up substantially {see Financial Review above), we are significantly short of our target of £60k. This remains a real concern for the Trustees Free reserves at 31 March 2024 were £46,22812023: £45,545), The trustees recognise that the current level of unrestricted reserves does not meet the policy given recent substantial increases in energy costs. The trustees declare that they have approved the report above on 1411012024 Signed on their behalf by: E)afi(c&LtrJfyJei(c Name: Angela Davies Position Trustee Chartered Accountants, report to the trustees of Walkley Carnegie Library on the preparation of the unaudited accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Charities Act 2011. we have prepared for your approval the accounts of Walkley Carnegie Library for the year ended 31 March 2024 as set out on pages 8 to 11 from the accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us. As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales {ICAEW}, we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed at http://www.icaew.com/en/membership/regulations-standards-and-guidance. This report is made solely to the Trustees of Walkley Carnegie Library, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated 23 February 2023. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the accounts of Walkley Carnegie Library and state those matters that we have agreed to the Trustees of Walkley Carnegie Library. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Walkley Carnegie Library and its Trustees for our work or for this report. It is your duty to ensure that Walkley Carnegie Library has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare accounts that give a true and fair view of the financial position of Walkley Carnegie Library. We have not been instructed to carry out an independent examination or a review of the accounts of Walkley Carnegie Library. For this reason. we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on these accounts. Signed: Seven Hills Accountants Limited Chartered Accountants 57 Burton Street Sheffield S6 2HH Date: 1611012024 Walkley Carnegie Library Receipts & payments occount Fortheyear ended 31 March 2024 Unrestrirted fund Restrirted funds Total 2024 Unrestricted fund Restrirted funds Total 2023 Notes Receipts Grants and donations ()ther fundraising Room Hire Library fees and fines 1,212 638 1.370 15.959 17.171 638 1.370 66 575 401 930 16,929 17,504 401 930 345 66 345 Total receipts 3,220 16,025 19,245 1,906 17,274 19,180 Payments Purchase of books Event costs Insurance Advertising & Marketing Cleaning Materials Independent examination IT Software and Consumables Light, Power, Heating Telephone & Internet Miscellaneous Expenses Printing & Stationery Rates Water Rates Repairs & Maintenance Library fees and fines payable Waste Disposal Furniture and equipment Professional fees 2.428 4(Kl 2.828 587 141 814 70 170 483 496 5,505 720 1,276 587 141 814 70 170 483 496 5,505 720 1,390 31 1,792 545 494 579 579 212 517 223 8,383 720 1,130 472 2,066 528 212 517 223 8,383 720 1,150 472 2,066 528 20 114 23 1,792 545 494 366 366 89 348 435 348 435 89 Total payments 2,537 15,596 18,133 137 13,884 14,021 Net receipts/{payments) 429 1,112 1,769 3,390 5,159 Transfers between funds Net movement in funds 429 1,112 1,769 3.390 5,159 Cash funds brought forward 45.545 37.922 83.467 43.776 34,532 78,308 Cash funds carried forward 46,228 38,351 84,579 45,545 37,922 83,467 Walkley Carnegie Library Statement of assets and liabilitie5 As at 31 March 2024 2024 2023 Cash assets Bank Cash 84,269 310 83,431 36 84.579 83.467 2024 2023 Debtors Purchase of books - prepayment 2,864 2,864 2024 2023 Liabilities Accountancy feel Independent examination fee Outstanding SCC fines 360 397 463 943 757 Approved by the trustees on 1411012024 and signed on their behalf by- /,,M(kn Chair Trustee Walkley Carnegie Library Notes to the accounts Fortheyear ended 31 March 2024 Receipts & payments accounts Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the charity during the financial year. In this context "cash" includes cash equivalents, for example. bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due. Grants & donations Unrestricted Restrirted fund funds Total Unrestrirted Restricted 2024 fund funds Total 2023 Sheffield City Council - Associate Library Grant Sheffield City Council - Book grant General Donations 14,959 1,000 14,959 1.000 1,212 14,959 1,500 470 14,959 1,500 1,045 1.212 575 1,212 15,959 17,171 575 16,929 17,504 Restricted funds Funds b/twd Receipts Funds c/fvid Payments Transfers Sheffield City Council - Associate Library Grant Sheffield City Council - Book grant Sheffield City Council Capital work Dementia Project K Bentley Memorial Fund Fees and fines on behalf of SCC 25,194 1.500 io,(J)o 731 loo 397 14,959 1,000 115,1961 13001 24,957 2,200 10,000 731 iiooi 66 463 37.922 16,025 115,5961 38,351 Sheffield City Council: Associate Library Grant- Funding towards the running of the library and associated activity that benefits library users. Sheffield City Council: Book grant- Funding to contribute towards the purchase of book stocks Sheffield City Council: Capital work- Funding awarded as a contribution towards future capital improvements. Dementia Projett- Funding to contribute towards a specific dementia project. K Bentley Memorial Fund - Donations in memory of a long-time library user from her friends and family. To be spent on Blue Sticker Books Prior year comporlson Funds b/fvd Receipts Funds c/fvd Payments Tronsfers SheffNeld City Council- Associote Library Gront Sheffield City Council- Book grant SheffNeld City Council- Copitol work DementAa Project K Bentley Memoriul Fund Fees andfines on beholf ofSCC 23,530 14,959 1,5(K) (13,295) 25,194 1,500 10,000 731 loo 397 10,000 950 (219) (370) 470 345 52 34,532 17,274 (13,884) 37,922 io Walkley Carnegie Library Notes to the accounts (continued) Fortheyear ended 31 March 2024 Trustees, remuneration, expenses and beneffts The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment in the year12023: £nill neither were they reimbursed expenses during the year12023: £nill. No other charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity12023- £nil). Related party transartions There were no related party transartions in the year. li